Not until college did I understand the quadratic equation. We were taught it very briefly one day in high school math. After that, the teacher's policy in class was this:
When you have a quadratic equation to solve, punch it into QuadKill (a calculator program someone had made to solve quadratic equations). Before the test, the teacher would erase all programs off the calcular except for QuadKill, because that was OK to use.
Granted, I didn't pay the most attention and had probably glossed into a coma the day they explained it, but not until I got into college did I know that an imaginary number was the square root of negative one, rather than "what you get when there's not a real answer for a quadratic formula. Like when quadkill tells you there's an imaginary result."
Oh, and most of the time my calculator was so full of games that even QuadKill got the boot to make room for Craps (with unrealistic can't-lose odds), Lunar Lander, Tetris, etc.
Seriously, I'm all about technology (I read slashdot) but most technology in elementary and middle school levels is just all flash and no bang.
Oh come on! I played The Oregon Trail for a half hour every other week in the Apple IIe lab. There was plenty of, as you say, "bang" as I shot the buffalo[sic]!
I think the decline of pinball reflects a general abandonment of flow and nuance in video games. A pinball machine has its own character. Some flow very well, and many have a rhythm. It's not even so much about "get that many points" or "pass the level" as much as orchestrating delightful combinations. It's a shame that such concepts have to be largely foisted upon the user (a la the instruction-following DDR) rather than allowing them to happen naturally with a well-designed game. That, and games that have nuance are generally more difficult to make than the latest pretty-looking shoot-em-up.
In my view, it's a matter of interpretation of what the purpose of the law is...
A law could be seen as a mechanism to keep dangerous behavior in check, and a means to prosecute people who are doing something dangerous.
Or, a law could be seen as something that should always be enforced upon everyone everywhere for the simple fact that it's a law.
Under the first scenario, how tickets are traditionally issued, the very dangerous drivers are ticketed often, and the less-dangerous drivers who are still speeding are ticketed less often, but are still ticketed to keep the traffic flow in check. Under the second, tickets are issued to everyone, regardless of whether they were driving safely.
I'm in favor of the first system, and a bit of personal responsibility. It encourages paying attention to *why* it's a law, and entrusts the individual with responsible behavior. In the second system, people will likely only obey the law to avoid punishment.
I find it unfortunate that the world seems to be moving toward the second system.
Anyone committing a crime can remove the inspection sticker if they wish, just as they might remove their plates.
Indeed. And in this case they would track and detain all vehicles in the area EXCEPT the one they're actually looking for. Sounds like a great system, no?
Some of the best advice I was given (and early on, too) in college is to be friendly with the staff. They are the ones who manage your paperwork, find obscure resources, check out rooms, mail your transcripts, and help you get in contact with important people.
Staff, however, are not given the same status as faculty. They are often treated as menial hired help. When the three-hundredth person this week comes in with a form saying, "Hey, this is late. Can you fix it?" it can be irritating.
If, instead, you say hello, talk a bit about whatever you went in for, ask how their day is, etc. (treat them like *gasp* people), they may also treat you like a person, as "Bob, who likes Futurama and is sometimes forgetful with paperwork", rather than "idiot who didn't do his paperwork on time #185."
"two presidents later" grammatically implies that there were three total, the one you started with, and two that came later than it. "one president later" would be the appropriate quote.
When the alarm clock goes off and the snooze button is pressed, Clocky will roll off the bedside table and wheel away, bumping mindlessly into objects on the floor until it eventually finds a spot to rest.
My floor? It'll make it all of two feet before getting caught at the Ephel Duath of papers, books, and clothes on the floor.
Minutes later, when the alarm sounds again, the sleeper must get up out of bed and search for Clocky.
I think not! They really should look at the habits of people who *need* a devious alarm clock and hurry out an all-terrain model:P
"does the 'tragedy' here refer to aspects of the story line, the movie itself (as in it will be following in the footsteps of the first two), the box office revenue or the fact that it will be rated PG13?"
Well, that's what I'm doing anyways. If you're going to pair a degree, I'd suggest doing something completely unrelated that really engages you. Sure, it takes a significant amount of time. However, with all the job applicants who claim to have "unique insight" due to a business course, you'll actually have something that most others don't.
Such a degree exposes you to different ways to look at the world, and a whole different type of people. Also, it helps you make your way into a niche market. Further, if you ever burn out on CS, you have something else to turn to.
People still make fantastic, high-quality jazz, abstract art, and classical music. The last good thing to come out of Star Trek was First Contact, and even that was sketchy what with the ruining of the borg concept.
For anyone that reads the Sunday "Parade" magazine (in some U.S. newspapers), more specifically the Ask Marilyn column, today's is along these lines.
She posted the "Gullible is not in the dictionary" comment in her article a few weeks back, and today published a letter sent by some confused librarians, claiming "Yes it is! Please explain."
Slashdot Mirror
Oh, it was indeed worse than that.
Not until college did I understand the quadratic equation. We were taught it very briefly one day in high school math. After that, the teacher's policy in class was this:
When you have a quadratic equation to solve, punch it into QuadKill (a calculator program someone had made to solve quadratic equations). Before the test, the teacher would erase all programs off the calcular except for QuadKill, because that was OK to use.
Granted, I didn't pay the most attention and had probably glossed into a coma the day they explained it, but not until I got into college did I know that an imaginary number was the square root of negative one, rather than "what you get when there's not a real answer for a quadratic formula. Like when quadkill tells you there's an imaginary result."
Oh, and most of the time my calculator was so full of games that even QuadKill got the boot to make room for Craps (with unrealistic can't-lose odds), Lunar Lander, Tetris, etc.
A bad teacher can do years of damage.
Indeed. As my college Early U.S. history teacher once said, "How many of you learned history from 'Coach Whats-his-name?'"
About 80% of the hands in the room went up.
That's not to say that some Coach Whats-his-names didn't do a good job... it's just a matter of priorities set by districts.
Seriously, I'm all about technology (I read slashdot) but most technology in elementary and middle school levels is just all flash and no bang.
Oh come on! I played The Oregon Trail for a half hour every other week in the Apple IIe lab. There was plenty of, as you say, "bang" as I shot the buffalo[sic]!
It could be. It was a while ago and E3 has a way of, well, overstimulating me until I forget who made what.
Saw one of these at E3 two years ago, though I forget who made it.
Granted, it kinda made my head hurt to look at, but regardless, you could see 3D images on a screen outside the booth.
I think the decline of pinball reflects a general abandonment of flow and nuance in video games. A pinball machine has its own character. Some flow very well, and many have a rhythm. It's not even so much about "get that many points" or "pass the level" as much as orchestrating delightful combinations. It's a shame that such concepts have to be largely foisted upon the user (a la the instruction-following DDR) rather than allowing them to happen naturally with a well-designed game. That, and games that have nuance are generally more difficult to make than the latest pretty-looking shoot-em-up.
In my view, it's a matter of interpretation of what the purpose of the law is...
A law could be seen as a mechanism to keep dangerous behavior in check, and a means to prosecute people who are doing something dangerous.
Or, a law could be seen as something that should always be enforced upon everyone everywhere for the simple fact that it's a law.
Under the first scenario, how tickets are traditionally issued, the very dangerous drivers are ticketed often, and the less-dangerous drivers who are still speeding are ticketed less often, but are still ticketed to keep the traffic flow in check. Under the second, tickets are issued to everyone, regardless of whether they were driving safely.
I'm in favor of the first system, and a bit of personal responsibility. It encourages paying attention to *why* it's a law, and entrusts the individual with responsible behavior. In the second system, people will likely only obey the law to avoid punishment.
I find it unfortunate that the world seems to be moving toward the second system.
Does anyone have a really big microwave oven I could put my car in for a few minutes?
Surely the microwave would only damage the RFID tag.
Anyone committing a crime can remove the inspection sticker if they wish, just as they might remove their plates.
Indeed. And in this case they would track and detain all vehicles in the area EXCEPT the one they're actually looking for. Sounds like a great system, no?
Have you gotten chatty with the staff?
Some of the best advice I was given (and early on, too) in college is to be friendly with the staff. They are the ones who manage your paperwork, find obscure resources, check out rooms, mail your transcripts, and help you get in contact with important people.
Staff, however, are not given the same status as faculty. They are often treated as menial hired help. When the three-hundredth person this week comes in with a form saying, "Hey, this is late. Can you fix it?" it can be irritating.
If, instead, you say hello, talk a bit about whatever you went in for, ask how their day is, etc. (treat them like *gasp* people), they may also treat you like a person, as "Bob, who likes Futurama and is sometimes forgetful with paperwork", rather than "idiot who didn't do his paperwork on time #185."
Bill Clinton + GWB = 2 Presidents
"two presidents later" grammatically implies that there were three total, the one you started with, and two that came later than it. "one president later" would be the appropriate quote.
Martin Sheen, perhaps?
When the alarm clock goes off and the snooze button is pressed, Clocky will roll off the bedside table and wheel away, bumping mindlessly into objects on the floor until it eventually finds a spot to rest.
:P
My floor? It'll make it all of two feet before getting caught at the Ephel Duath of papers, books, and clothes on the floor.
Minutes later, when the alarm sounds again, the sleeper must get up out of bed and search for Clocky.
I think not! They really should look at the habits of people who *need* a devious alarm clock and hurry out an all-terrain model
"does the 'tragedy' here refer to aspects of the story line, the movie itself (as in it will be following in the footsteps of the first two), the box office revenue or the fact that it will be rated PG13?"
Yes.
Hear hear! As someone who's implemented user interfaces that only the art department has had input on, I wholeheartedly agree.
Well, that's what I'm doing anyways. If you're going to pair a degree, I'd suggest doing something completely unrelated that really engages you. Sure, it takes a significant amount of time. However, with all the job applicants who claim to have "unique insight" due to a business course, you'll actually have something that most others don't.
Such a degree exposes you to different ways to look at the world, and a whole different type of people. Also, it helps you make your way into a niche market. Further, if you ever burn out on CS, you have something else to turn to.
How is a licensed service that *also* pays musicians a reasonable amount supposed provide a similar service at a similar cost?
If "similar" was something along the lines of "more expensive than allofmp3 but significantly cheaper than iTunes," I think people would go for it.
What of the myriad of non-IT geeks? I'll have you know that IT doesn't hold a monopoly on geekery, whether on the internet or elsewhere.
You mean flashy, obnoxious, distracting ads?
No, not the ads. The kitschy often-musical animations.
For that matter, I don't recall the last time I got a flash ad, but I'm using Opera so what do I know.
the same ranks as Real
Man, that's hitting below the belt.
Then how, may I ask, do you view the plethora of whimsical animations that abound on the internet? Badgers? Kenya? Ja Da? STRONGBAD EMAILS?
Come now, you're missing out on the best the internet has to offer!
People still make fantastic, high-quality jazz, abstract art, and classical music. The last good thing to come out of Star Trek was First Contact, and even that was sketchy what with the ruining of the borg concept.
For anyone that reads the Sunday "Parade" magazine (in some U.S. newspapers), more specifically the Ask Marilyn column, today's is along these lines.
She posted the "Gullible is not in the dictionary" comment in her article a few weeks back, and today published a letter sent by some confused librarians, claiming "Yes it is! Please explain."
Somehow, I don't think "Improving Market Share" is the top concern for Windows at the moment.
Governor of New Jersey to head Environmental Protection Agency
Oh, wait...